I'm Waiting For Him
by Hoorg
Summary: Maybe the USJ wasn't the safest place after all. After the League of Villains attack, the place held another tragedy which ended on a much worse note. Alternatively, how Koda Koji changed as a person by talking to his unconscious friend's body.
1. First Came The Tears

"Koda, watch out!"

He could still hear the words playing _again and again_ inside his head, reminding him of the harsh fate that had befallen upon him in that very day. If it were not for the fast thinking of his classmate – his **friend** – Koda could have been the one whose hero career came to a screeching halt.

It was supposed to be just another training lesson at the Unforeseen Simulation Joint. The facility had received a massive security update after the League of Villains attack earlier that year, and the students from the hero courses could now practice around there with the supervision of Pro Hero Thirteen. That day was one of those days. The sun shone brightly through the glass dome that covered the facility, making visible all those landscapes, replicas, students and their aspirations.

The section that was currently being used by class 1-A was the Landslide Zone – A place were terrain did not stay motionless and stable for very long. The earth itself was always being reshaped by the hi-tech machines that made the whole place come alive. Weak artificial quakes shook the very ground the students stood onto, and large and heavy boulders fell down the cliffs where their current lesson took place. It exactly a rescue training, but rather, an escape training. It was one thing to secure any civilians that might be on the area, but to get them to safety before the hostile environment turned against the heroes as well – that was the truly difficult task.

The ground rumbled, distributing shockwaves along the uneven terrain. Most students were already at the bottom behind the safety line that used of an invisible force field to stop any debris from hitting whoever was standing behind it. All except two.

Koda himself admitted his quirk was not the most viable when it came to urban and barren environments. He could even argue that his quirk had virtually no practical use, but that emotionally charged affirmation was easy to contradict seeing as the boy still managed to get into U.A. High School. Commanding animals was an useful skill to have when dealing with foreign landscapes, secluded places with no human presence, and sometimes there were tasks that simply required a non-humanoid body type to be performed optimally.

Running away from boulders was not one of those tasks, however. The shy boy ran for his dear life, letting out squeals each time he felt a foreign object getting too close to his boundaries. One would not expect how much went into retreating in a situation like this; it required good timing, spatial awareness and raw physical speed. All things he did not fully possess.

Koda was about five meters from the safety line when suddenly a shadow was casted onto his form. He did not have to look up to know that it was another loose boulder, but this one was much bigger than what he had managed to avoid so far. It roughly matched his speed as well; this would be no easy task if he continued running in a straight line towards the goal. As the shadow got closer and closer, Koda started to realize that he probably would not make it like this. He had several options as to not get crushed, and unfortunately his adrenaline-filled brain chose the most ineffective one: freezing in place.

"Koda, watch out!"

But there was someone else who had been struggling in the Landslide Zone. A person who Koda respected and owed his entire life to, who chose to take his fate into their own hands and let him go unscathed for another day. However, with a heavy cost.

Despite what one might think, having a living and almost immaterial creature residing inside of your body also had its fair share of downsides. The host would have to double their energy input so that he could support both of them, endure its own quirks and peculiarities, and be prone to relying on it on life threatening situations. Its grasp on the environment around also limited by several factors, most notably a maximum distance the creature could extend out of its host before risking injuring itself. Its powerful claws could subdue whoever crossed its path, however, and since it had a mind of its own, it did not rely on the host's reflexes to act.

But it was not the symbiote who saved Koda's life. As per any great hero, when faced with a dangerous situation, Fumikage Tokoyami's body moved on its own.

"Koda, watch out!"

It all happened in the blink of an eye. The animal-talker's body tensed up to wait for the impact, but it never came. Instead, his body was suddenly pushed to the side and out of the impact zone by a pair of small hands. A black hole – a dark spot in reality that destroyed all matter – suddenly opened in thin air above the duo, shattering the boulder in smaller fragments but not managing to absorb all of them. The hard rock crumbled, lost some of its momentum, but landed on Tokoyami's body nevertheless and with a horrifying noise. It was not the sound of bones breaking, soft tissue being crushed or even cry of pain. Instead, a single exhale. The air left the bird boy's lungs quickly and effortlessly, making his vocal chords vibrate ever so slightly to produce a noise that would haunt Koda's worst nightmares for years – no, decades to come.

Like a ragdoll absorbing momentum, Tokoyami's body was flung away by the force, rolling and twisting in unnatural positions before finally settling down with his unmoving chest facing skywards.

Koda opened his eyes after what felt like an eternity. He was ready to thank his savior deeply, before he finally saw him. Unmoving, cold, **hurt**. The scene short-circuited his poor mind, keeping his body just as frozen before he finally gathered enough strength to break out of his trance. His high-pitched voice echoed through the dome like a painful reminder of his own, deadly clumsiness.

"S-someone call help! Please! Tokoyami is hurt!"

Another blink of an eye, and suddenly white and red vehicles filled the scenery. Thirteen was doing a good job of keeping their cool façade on, but in reality, they were crumbling inside. Lawyers and parents were being called, statements were being made, and students came forward to look at the boy being carried away in a stretcher as well as to wipe off the tears Koda did not realize were falling.

Fumikage Tokoyami, one of the best students in class 1-A, had just gotten hurt because of him.

Fumikage Tokoyami, his **best friend** , had just gotten hurt because of him.

Koda was not one of the most extroverted people there were, and it showed. His lack of socialization had led him to become shy and reserved, and made him unable to do something as simple as use his voice in everyday situations – resulting in him having to learn sign language if he wanted to do so much as not to have a panic attack while expressing his thoughts. The world was loud, _people_ were loud. They scared him and his animal companions away without a thought.

However, Tokoyami was different. The boy preferred peace and quiet just like he did, handling every situation with a calm and stable demeanor that Koda wished he could have. His voice, deep and soothing, was the opposite of his own. He could listen to it for hours and hours, even if he did not know what Tokoyami's usual metaphors about darkness and shadows meant most of the time. He was just glad he could be in the presence of someone so great like him. Despite both boy's reserved natures, they often did group assignments together, had small friendly discussions and often times ate together or just enjoyed mundane everyday tasks in each other's presence. Silence never felt awkward when they were around each other. Tokoyami had even started learning sign language for him, so there was one less barrier hampering their friendship.

"Comatose."

Koda found himself in the waiting room of some sort of hospital. Most 1-A students were there, along with some teachers, Tokoyami's parents and a person he did not recognize – whom he later found out was in fact the Pro Hero Thirteen. It was odd seeing them out of their mockup astronaut suit. It was sad seeing the usual large and comforting monochromatic figure outside of their shell. They were a mere human, a person who currently looked like they were holding onto their last shred of sanity. The hero was apologizing deeply to everyone, but it did not really sound like it. It was as if they were trying to apologize to themselves, for not being able to fulfil their single and most important duty.

" _Comatose_."

The other students had varying expressions of melancholy in their faces as well. People like Bakugou, Todoroki and Aizawa had their usual neutral expression, although it was possible to distinguish a hint of distress behind their eyes. Usually goofy fellows like Kaminari, Mina and Present Mic where deadly quiet, looking away from the doctors and nurses. Staring blankly into nothing as if they had lost their reason to smile. All-Might was there as well. His towering figure, that usually brought smiles and reassured everyone nearby, now only served to illustrate how serious the situation was. He did not have his characteristic grin on his face. It was not a frown either. It was a painfully neutral expression. There was nothing he could have done to change the situation, but he still could not help but feel like some of the fault was his.

" **Comatose**."

It took three times for Koda to acknowledge the term, a more bitter than sweet taste filling his mouth. Tokoyami was asleep. Trapped inside his own body, consciousness far away. The doctors said something about light injuries. Something about an unconventionally shaped skull. But nothing of a recovery date. Nothing about getting up. And nothing about his future as a hero.

One by one, they were allowed to enter the room where the injured boy was resting in. One by one they came out, sobs held and tears staining their cheeks. Koda insisted for him to be the last one to enter, and so it was done. It felt like both an eternity and a flash. He wanted to see his friend, but he did not want to come to terms with the fact that the Tokoyami he knew and loved was not there. At least not yet. It could take weeks, months, even years for him to return. And there was also the possibility that…

 **No**. He tried pushing the thought out of his mind as he entered the sterile white room, but it kept coming back. A heart monitor beeped in a slow pace in the corner of the room. A nearby desk was filled with flowers and cards Tokoyami would not be able to read anytime soon. A window blew a gentle breeze into the environment, giving motion to softer things such as fabric and leaves. And on the bed, deep into the room, there he was. His soft black feathers were sprawled against the pillow. His arms limply rested at the side of his body. His face had a quaint expression on it, eyes closed. Only his chest rising up and down displayed he was still holding on.

Koda's entire body was shaking as he walked closer to his unconscious friend. The pressure of guilt building inside him was too much. His legs faltered and he crumbled onto his knees, pressing his face against the white mattress and staining it with his tears. Tokoyami… Had left. He had left Koda alone in this loud and cold world. Heroes, villains, quirks, none of that mattered to him at the moment. He simply wanted to hear his friend's comforting voice one last time.

Neither the nurses nor any of his classmates had the heart to take him out of the hospital room. His parents had to be called, and they were equally as hesitant to escort their son away from the source of his emotions. His eyes – previously hidden by the bed sheets – were puffy and red. His throat was sore even though he had not done any shouting since the incident. And his heart was broken.

They managed to convince him to go back home, on the premise that they would take him to visit Tokoyami each day after class. Koda did not want it; he wanted his friend to be back **now**. But even with the most advanced medicine and healing quirks, nothing else could be done at the moment. He would have to simply wait and help him from a distance, keeping everything in order until the great hero-in-training Tsukuyomi decided to return home from whenever he was.

And so he did.


	2. And Then Came His Voice

" _Tokoyami, I have something for you!"_

 _Koda waved towards his friend, a small smile plastered on his face. Tokoyami was currently leaning against a wall outside of the school, waiting for his parents to come pick him up. He directed his eyes towards the larger boy and gave him a small nod, followed by an answer using sign language._

" _Oh? What do you have for me, Koda?"_

 _Koda walked in front of Tokoyami and put his bag on the ground. He zipped it open and searched inside for a while before pulling out two pendants. The one he handed Tokoyami had a charm in the shape of a crow attached to it, and the one he kept had a turtle. Tokoyami examined it for a while with a hint of amusement on his expression, before wearing it around his neck. Koda did the same, glad that his friend had liked his impromptu gift._

" _We're matching now!" Koda signed after picked up his bag from the ground and put it on his back again._

" _Thank you, Koda. I am most grateful." Tokoyami nodded. "I have something for you as well. I was planning to give it to you after our finals were over, but… I guess this feels like the right moment to do so."_

 _Tokoyami was about to search in his own bag, but before he could do so a car honked in the distance. Turning around, they could see it was just across the street, and Tokoyami let out a small sigh as he noticed it was his mother's car._

" _I am sorry, but it is quite important that I go now. Do not worry, though, I can hand my little present to you tomorrow after class." And with that, he walked towards the black car and entered, giving Koda a small wave before the tinted windows rolled up and the vehicle moved out of his view._

 _Koda waited in that very spot. And waited. And_ _ **waited**_ _. He stood outside of the school gates for more time than he could remember, only the late afternoon sun and the pale moon keeping him safe from the harms of the night, but nothing happened. Tokoyami did not enter or exit through those gates._

 _Tokoyami did not come to class that day. And the day after. And the week after._

 _Something was_ _ **wrong**_ _. That was not what had happened that day. Tokoyami certainly gave him something before he left, and he had certainly come the day after. But Koda suddenly couldn't remember what it was. Did he lose it? Did it break? He would have certainly remembered if it did, as it probably held a great emotional value with it._

 _So what was it? And…_

 _Where was Tokoyami?_

* * *

It had been one week since the accident. And every day, Koda woke up with tears staining his face.

It had become a monotonous routine. Wake up, get dressed, attend school, go to the hospital, return home and go to sleep again. He did not hate it as much as he could – after all, the repetition and certainty of what was going to happen throughout most of the day helped him keep his sanity. But even then, he could not shake off the feeling that things were not going as smoothly as they used to. He knew the reason for that, but he could not bring himself to say it out loud or even consciously think about it.

Koda sniffled and got up from his bed. He went to the bathroom to wash his face and then put his school uniform on. His parents were waiting for him downstairs with his breakfast. It consisted of green tea, sliced fruits and toast with honey on it. There was a particularly high number of apple slices in his meals that week compared to other days, but he did not complain. He knew the reason behind that.

Koda could not concentrate during class. There was a sort of melancholic energy pulling his eyes from the lecture and towards the empty desk directly to his left. Most teachers had stopped trying to make him pay attention after only two days, feeling too much pity for the boy. The other students had tried sharing their notes with him in spite of that, but it was near impossible to find him anywhere else other than the hospital in his free time. They instead opted for sending them to him through messaging apps. He only checked his messages twice a day – once now that Tokoyami wasn't sending him any – but it was the safest way to guarantee he was actually receiving them.

Koda sat down patiently in the waiting room of the hospital, before the same nurse that had been taking care of Tokoyami since the beginning came to tell him he could enter the room where he was staying. She always had a surgical mask on, but it was still possible to distinguish a frown on her face whenever Tokoyami was the subject of the conversation. She led him to his friend's room, and then stood outside. She had a cloning quirk, so she could send one of her duplicates to do her chores while the original kept an eye on the boys. She did not expect Koda to do anything bad, but it was the hospital's protocol – and she sometimes entered the room to comfort him herself when things got too sad for her to simply continue watching.

That had been the first time Koda had been able to walk into the room and sit down on the small chair near the bed without breaking down into tears. Seeing Tokoyami's peaceful expression took some of the worry away from him. It mean that whenever his mind was, he was not suffering or in pain. It was as if he was just having a peaceful dream.

But his body was still there, right by Koda's side. Could he hear and feel things? The internet said it varied from case to case, and that the amount of sensory input he could actually process was probably limited, but it was still worth a try. Koda raised his hands, and… He noticed Tokoyami's eyes were closed. He did not have the courage to raise his eyelids himself, both because it would be disrespectful and because it would honestly look a little scary. Koda soon realized that he would have to use his voice.

Koda hated his voice. It was too high pitched, it constantly stuttered, and it did not match his overall body type. Kids used to pick on him because of it when he was on elementary and early middle school. Not to mention that, after having awakened his quirk when he turned four years old, he had to be specific when talking to people or else nearby animals would think they were the ones being talked to. So instead of going through more hardships by trying to adapt, he decided to stop using his voice altogether, learning and using sign language to communicate instead.

But he had to use his voice now. His love for Tokoyami was stronger than his self-consciousness.

"Hello…" Koda said meekly, looking down at Tokoyami to see if there was anything in his expression indicating he had heard him. There was not.

"Hello, Tokoyami. It's me… Koda. I'm here." No response yet again. He should have been expecting it, but it made his eyes start swelling with tears again. He pushed them back and continued.

"It's been a whole week since you've been in here, did you know? If you're tired of laying around, you can just… Get up…"

Koda pressed his hands in front of his mouth for a while to keep the sobs from coming out. Tokoyami did not deserve to listen to those any longer.

"I'm sorry, I'm… I'm going to change the subject, alright? What do you want to talk about?"

More silence.

"Ah, my day? Well, there hasn't been a lot of interesting stuff going on recently, but… I can tell you how it went if you'd like!"

Koda took a deep breath before continuing. "Well, I woke up from a… No, I didn't have any dreams today, actually. The one I just remembered was the one from last week. The one with the giant rabbit, I already told you about one."

Koda lied. He did not need to know about that either.

"After that, I ate some breakfast my mom made for me. She put a lot of apples on it today, so it was really tasty. Apples are your favorite, right? Do you want me to bring some apples to you when you get better?"

Luckily, Tokoyami could not see the tears rolling down Koda's face as he spoke. "Alright, alright I promise I will. What else was there? Uh…"

Koda paused, realizing he had not paid attention to class at all. Though he could not let Tokoyami know it was because of him, so he tried recalling some bits he did remember and mixing up with things he made up on the spot.

"Well… There was math with Ectoplasm today. I know we're both not very good at math… But… We can take Yaoyorozu's tutoring! I know you don't want to, you always keep saying you aren't able to study properly with Kaminari and Mina in the same room as you, but… I can tell her to do one session with just the two of us. How does that sound?"

He paused. "But um… If you want, we can invite more people as well… Like Jirou and Ojiro. You like Jirou, right? She's nice, she sends me cute songs sometimes… And Ojiro is nice as well! What do you think about him?"

Koda could not recall many instances of Tokoyami and Ojiro interacting. They were mostly small talks about homework or sharing their answers after a difficult test, so it was hard for him to speculate what his opinion on him was. But Ojiro wasn't as loud as some of the other people that attended Yaoyorozu's sessions, so he considered him being in Tokoyami's good side.

However, he still shook his head and discarded his theories. He could ask Tokoyami himself when he woke up, it was not nice to speculate behind his back like that.

"There was also a Foundational Hero Studies class today! Our objective was to gather as much information as we could about a certain area and then report to All-Might. I think I did pretty well on it! Can you guess what I did?"

He imagined Tokoyami nodding at the question, so he proceeded. "I called some birds to look at the area from above, then asked them to draw a schematic of it on the sand! That was pretty clever, don't you think? I got second in that activity, and Shoji came out in first. All-Might was really proud of us! Do you think you would have done well on it too? I don't really see Dark Shadow as the most observant type, but… Uh…"

There was silence yet again, but this time it **hurt**. Koda let out a small gasp and quickly tried defusing the "situation".

"I mean, of course you would! You… You… I know it's my fault, but… I was just…"

Tears threatened to fall from Koda's eyes again. He tried keeping a stable tone in his voice, but it was not working anymore. "I know… They said you might be ready to come out soon enough, but… When will that be? Can you tell me, Tokoyami? How are you feeling? Please… Speak to me, please!"

Koda held a sob, but could not contain the rest even after placing his hands over his mouth. They were muffled, but definitely still audible. "I'm sorry you're... I'm sorry I'm like this, but… But… I miss you."

The tears were now falling off Koda's face and dropping onto the white sheets. He tried to muffle the sound more by leaning forwards and pressing his face against the mattress, but that only made him stain it even more.

"I… I miss you so much, Tokoyami! Please come back… Come back soon, please…"

The nurse outside quickly dialed for Koda's parents, and soon enough the boy could feel the warm hand of his mother pressing against his back. He did not resist going back home this time.

He promised to himself that he would not let Tokoyami hear him while he was a crying mess anymore, yet there he was. The melancholy and guilt were gone – or simply paused for the day – after about an hour of comforting words from his family, but he still did not feel well.

Koda felt alone.


	3. Soon Ended His Loneliness

"Hey... It's me, Koda. It's been a whole month, huh?"

Koda had a melancholic smile on his face. While he was definitely still sad Tokoyami had not recovered after one month, he was glad he had also not gotten worse after one month. He frequently asked the doctors about the other's condition, and they often gave him a vague answer or pretended to not know sign language to force him to go away. But recently, the answers were getting more positive. From what he managed to gather, most of Tokoyami's injuries had been fully healed at that point, but there was still an unknown factor keeping him unconscious. Whatever it was, it did not appear in any medical checks for serious conditions, and that filled Koda with a wave of relief.

"I brought some stuff. It's… Obviously not to _celebrate_ the one-month mark, but… It's more of a "get well soon" party, you know?"

Koda put his bag onto his lap so he could look at it better, and started pulling out a variety of objects such as: flowers, a fuzzy blanket, a framed picture of everyone in class 1-A taken during the summer camp, a small gothic-themed clock and even some small heart-shaped balloons.

"Todoroki and Shoji are going to arrive later today. They miss you a lot too, did you know?" Koda paused, as if letting Tokoyami think about the affirmation. "Todoroki usually passes by your room when he comes to visit his mother. And Shoji… Well, he comes here kinda often, but he never speaks so I don't know if you noticed."

Koda finally took off a plastic container from his bag, placing it on his lap and looking at Tokoyami for a while. He let out a small (hopefully) inaudible sigh and put his bag down so he would have easy access to whatever was inside.

"So… How about we eat something while we wait for them to arrive? They're going to bring snacks too, but I thought I'd bring something before them in case you were hungry."

Koda finally opened the container. Inside, there were seven apple slices, each one totally unpeeled except for a section in the shape of a "V" that vaguely resembled rabbit ears.

"I brought apple rabbits! Your mom that they're your favorite and that you don't like to admit it." He let out a chuckle. "But it's fine. We can eat them all before they arrive, alright?"

Koda paused, looking down at the small apple slices. He picked one up and just looked at it for a moment. "My mom made them for us. It's kinda embarrassing, but… Did you know she didn't teach me to cook until I enrolled in U.A.? She… Was afraid I would get hurt with the knives."

He paused. "But ah, you probably already learned enough about me, I've been talking about myself nonstop since last week, haven't I. Well… Let's eat!"

He then finally raised it to his mouth and ate it.

" _In conclusion, it is unlikely that you will always have a favorable situation to use your quirks at full potential, but that is what supporting gadgets are for." Aizawa finished his lecture and sat back down on the chair, looking as tired as always. "You'll be able to submit the gadgets you conceptualized to the support course soon enough. Now that we're done, I need a nap."_

" _Sensei! We're not done!" Mineta raised his hand. "What gadget would_ _ **Tokoyami**_ _get if he was still around here?"_

Koda shook his head, trying to push the memories from earlier that day to the back of his mind. "Mmh, delicious! I wish you could taste these right now, they're pretty great! Now, the second one…"

 _The classroom suddenly fell into deep silence, followed by quiet murmurs. Surprisingly, Kaminari was the first to speak up about the situation. "Mineta… You know we can't talk about that here…"_

" _And why not? We're not going to get the full class experience if we don't!" He crossed his arms over his chest, closing his eyes with an air of superiority emanating off him._

" _Mineta… You know, Koda doesn't like when we talk about him…"_

" _So? What's more important, Koda's feeling or our education?"_

"They're… Still crunchy, despite being made this morning." Koda smiled. "Third one."

" _Tokoyami can ask that on his own when he comes back." Shoji interjected. The others were surprising to see him speaking up about the issue as well, especially because he did not speak up in class at all. "It's unlikely that the information can help us more than it does for him."_

" _ **If**_ _he comes back." Mineta had a neutral expression on his face, but it was possible to tell that inside he had a shit-eating grin. He knew what he was doing._

" _Mineta!" Kirishima scolded, slamming his fist on the table. "Why you… Don't say things like that!"_

" _I'm just saying. That was a pretty big hit. And it's been one month already, so…"_

Koda could feel the tears gathering in his eyes, both in the memory and in the present.

"That one had a pretty cute shape, so I was kinda unsure if I should eat it or not." He chuckled again. "We're on four already! Let's… Let's make this one quick, you know what they say about four…"

" _I hate agreeing with the fucking grape perv over there, but he's got a point." Bakugou glared at no one in particular. "He's not coming back."_

" _Kacchan…!" Midoriya scolded him. "Don't… Don't be like this too!"_

" _I'm sorry, Tokoyami… I have to… I have to drink some water. I'll… I'll be…"_

When the memory passed, Koda found himself at the bathroom, in both U.A. and the hospital Tokoyami was currently in. He had his hand over his mouth, and the tears were currently streaming down from his face onto the floor of the stall he had locked himself into.

"Just… There are three left. Please… Tokoyami needs this." Koda let out a muffled sob along with his words, aimed at himself. He took a deep breath, taking a short time to regain his composure before unlocking the stall and walking out of the bathroom.

For his surprise, there were more people in Tokoyami's hospital room when he returned to it. Had they arrived earlier than expected, or did he just take that long? Regardless, he would have to avoid breaking down again.

"Sorry, I was using the toilet..." Koda rubbed the back of his neck.

"There is no need to apologize." Shoji replied using one of his hand-mouths.

"We were released from Yaoyorozu's tutoring early today." Todoroki cleared his throat. "She thought you might needed our presence here as soon as possible. How are you doing?"

"I'm… I'm alright, I guess." Koda let out a sigh. "I was just eating with Tokoyami. Take… Take a seat too, guys!"

Koda sat back on his chair, picking up the container he had dropped on the ground. Luckily, it fell with the opening facing up, and none of the remaining slices had fallen on the ground. His friends soon came back into the room with chairs of their own, looking at Tokoyami then back at Koda.

"Here comes the fifth one…"

" _You all should be glad. Bird freak was one of the best students in here, so now there's more space for you extras in the spotlight." Bakugou scoffed. Iida suddenly jolted from his chair and walked towards Bakugou, delivering a swift punch on his cheek. "What the hell?! I'm just speaking the truth!"_

" _Bakugou, don't you dare to talk about your classmates like that!" Iida shouted, making Bakugou recoil a tiny bit. "Aizawa-sensei, punish us for our inappropriate behavior right now!"_

"Let's… There's… There's only two left now…" Koda was starting to sob again, before he was interrupted by Shoji.

"Koda. You don't have to do this."

"But I… I want to…" He sniffled.

"Then let us help." Todoroki had a small yet comforting smile on his face. "How does that sound?"

Koda paused for a while before extending the container with the remaining apple slices towards his friends.

Shoji ate the sixth slice. Oddly enough, he did not use one of his extra mouths to eat it, instead stuffing it inside his mask to eat with his original mouth.

" _Koda? Are you in here?" "It's okay now man, we made sure they won't speak like that!" "Koda, we understand how you are feeling, but please allow yourself to return to class or else you will miss valuable lessons!"_

 _The voices just made him tear up more. Koda was not going to unlock his stall and come out of the boy's bathroom anytime soon like that. Everyone outside was so loud… So loud… Were they really trying to help? They had been comforting Koda since the day of the incident, but at that point it was starting to feel more like_ _ **pity**_ _than anything._

" _Please, everyone return to the classroom. I want to talk to him by myself." The chatter suddenly stopped, and there was the noise of someone walking inside the bathroom. He stood in front of the stall Koda was in, and waited a few moments before knocking on the door. "Koda. Can I talk to you? Knock once on the door if yes."_

 _Koda sniffled, immediately recognizing the owner of the voice as none other than Mezo Shoji. He and Tokoyami were good friends, so he was probably the best person to talk to right now. Koda leaned forward and knocked on the door once. Shoji did not open the door, instead opting to extend an eye and a mouth over it._

" _You shouldn't listen to those two. Tokoyami is going to be fine." He paused. "Did you know Recovery Girl was at the hospital last night? Way after we left."_

 _Koda's head perked up from his hands. He cleared his throat, but then remembered he did not have to talk since Shoji had an eye pointed at him. He raised his hands to sign instead. "Oh? What did she say?"_

Todoroki looked at the last slice, amused at the vague rabbit shape, before finally eating it.

" _She said he is going to be okay."_

 _Both turned their heads to face the sound, but (for obvious reasons) only Shoji was able to see Todoroki entering the room. "I overheard it as well. I was there talking to my mother."_

" _Yes, he is. Basically, she was not sure of when he is going to recover, but it is certain that he_ _ **will**_ _." Shoji complemented._

 _Koda's face suddenly lit up, and he started wiping off the tears. Tokoyami was going to get better. Tokoyami was going to get better! Tokoyami was going to return! Those were the best news he had received all week. It was as if Tokoyami was already there._

" _You know… Are you free today? This is for both of you." Shoji closed his eyes – except the one that was pointing at Koda._

" _Huh? Yes, I am." Todoroki blinked. Koda simply answered with an excited nod. "What do you have in mind?"_

" _I was thinking. It has been precisely one month since Tokoyami has been hospitalized. And with such good news, I think the date calls for a… How do I word this…" He hummed, trying to find the right words. "A "get well soon" party."_

" _Ah, that sounds pretty good, actually." Todoroki nodded. "Should we invite the others?"_

 _Shoji was about to say yes, before he saw Koda sign "I would rather not, if that is okay" and closed his mouth abruptly._

"… _I don't think so. It might sound strange, but…" Shoji was trying to come up with an excuse for his friend, when Koda himself suddenly interrupted him with his own voice._

" _Let's… Let's make it just us three. Please?" He raised his voice enough so that Todoroki could hear it. It was still odd using it with people that were not Tokoyami or his family, but he was slowly getting used to it._

" _Very well. I understand." Todoroki walked towards the stall. "It is almost lunch time. You don't have to come out just yet, but I would like for us to have lunch together today. How does that sound?"_

"There." Shoji watched quietly as Todoroki chewed and swallowed the last apple rabbit. "How are you feeling, Koda?"

Koda took a deep breath, and then put the lid back on the container. He raised his head and showed both of them a smile. He did not use sign language this time. "I'm better now, thank you."

"I'm glad you are here with me. I don't feel alone anymore."


	4. Finally Came The Kisses

Koda expected to feel a lot of things during his next visit to Tokoyami, but fear wasn't one of them.

The boy was just making his way through the hospital, strolling through the many sterile white corridors after going through an elevator that took way too long to reach the top floors. He didn't expect to see such a surprising and gruesome sight.

It was Tokoyami.

At first, Koda's heart skipped a beat and the boy rushed towards his friend, but he soon noticed there was something wrong. His eyes were still closed, his body moved with ragdoll-like limpness, and he was still on his hospital gown. Upon closer inspection, it was possible to determine what exactly was wrong – a dark mass involved Tokoyami's arm and legs, wrapping around them as if it was a grotesque exoskeleton and making his muscles move involuntarily. Koda let out a long high-pitched screech at the sight, which seemed to make Tokoyami clumsily turn around and try to return to where he came from.

The nurses were quick to grab him and put him back onto bed, each one bearing a futuristic looking to point at the body – which turned limp once again. Why did Dark Shadow come out like that? Maybe it was because Tokoyami's consciousness wasn't there to impede the creature from leaving his body, or maybe it was a situation similar to the training camp. Tokoyami was having a bad dream?

After the illumination in the room was cranked up to a ridiculously high level, Koda returned once again, sighing as he looked down towards his friends yet-again-lifeless body. He was free, but only for a split second…

Dark Shadow was also free, and for a considerable couple of seconds. That was a positive, right? Knowing the part of Tokoyami's brain that controlled Dark Shadow was healthy once again… It was probably only a matter of time until the rest of his brain was back on track!

Time. The word that haunted Koda's second worst nightmares. The uncertainty of a when that would come soon, and yet not soon enough. He did not know if Dark Shadow's awakening was good or bad to Tokoyami's development. Heck, he did not even know if it was really a hint that he was even getting better. It could well be just a random thing that happened – or worse, Dark Shadow being released in a panic because its host was dying. It made Koda nauseous, knowing that there was no way to know what it meant.

Or… Was there?

The idea of "simply" asking Dark Shadow about his friend's condition would have sounded ridiculous a week ago, when the "get well soon" party happened and everything seemed to be improving. But now? Koda was getting desperate, and each little moment of panic counted towards his ever present anxiety issues.

Besides, it was worth a try, right? Koda had seem Tokoyami talking to his shadowy companion before. It never answered with words, but knowing it was intelligent enough to recognize Japanese language… An idea suddenly sprung into Koda's mind. He rushed towards the surprisingly expansive set of switches that controlled the various aspects of the artificial environment Tokoyami was currently at. He took at least five whole minutes to find what he was looking for: a dial that when turned could adjust how bright the room was.

He adjusted the luminosity enough so that the room resembled an early spring morning. He did not dare to go lower – as he did not want to risk having Tokoyami walking out again like what happened earlier. He sat down by his uncomfortable plastic chair again, and cleared his throat.

"D…Dark Shadow? It's me, Koda. Don't be afraid, I'm just here to talk."

Nothing happened. Had he not said it loud enough? Or was the creature still upset about the sudden light attack coming from the hospital staff? He would only be able to find out if he got it to come out.

"Dark Shadow. What you did to Tokoyami just now was… Really disrespectful." Koda tried keeping a stern tone on his voice, but his squeaky voice did not help at all. "But… I understand you. You're scared. I'm scared too. We… We can go through this together, okay? So… Just let me see you, please. I want to talk to you. Face to face."

At first, nothing happened again, and Koda was honestly starting to lose hope. Then slowly, dark tendrils started to slowly ooze out of Tokoyami's chest, eventually taking shape into the familiar bird-shaped symbiote.

"Hi! Um… Hi Dark Shadow." Koda smiled, scratching the back of his neck. "How… How are you feeling?"

"Caw."

Oh, that was right. Dark Shadow only really "talked" to Tokoyami. That was going to be harder than he initially thought, but he could still make that work. Koda's quirk allowed him to command animals and not talk to them – a common misconception – so he had developed a system to talk to the animals either way.

"Okay, let's… Um, I have a way to make this work. Caw once for yes, twice for no, and three times for _I don't know_. Is that okay?"

"Caw."

"Okay… Are you understanding me?"

"Caw."

"Good! Let's see… Do you like light?"

"Caw caw."

"Okay, you're really understanding! Sorry about that, I had to make sure. Anyways… Is Tokoyami okay?"

"… Caw caw caw. Caw."

Koda raised an eyebrow. "Was that… You're not sure but you think he is?"

"Caw."

"Oh well, I'm thinking the same thing." He let out a defeated sigh. "Sorry about bothering you, I just thought that you knew something I didn't, since you're physically connected to Tokoyami. You can go back to whatever you were doing, thank you for your help."

Koda slumped back onto his chair, wiping the tears that were threatening to fall down. _You can't cry not. Tokoyami is going to think you're lame if he wakes up and sees you like this. Dark Shadow probably already knows you're a crybaby if it has been listening this whole time, it's just a matter of time before he tells Tokoyami and–_

"Caw!"

"Huh?" The noise brought Koda back from his self-consciousness trance. "I didn't ask anything…"

" _Caw!_ " The shadow chirped louder, pointing at something at the corner of the room. It was a notebook where people could write get-well-soon messages for Tokoyami to read when he woke up.

Koda got up to pick it up, as well as the black pen that was at its side. Almost immediately after he sat back down, Dark Shadow began writing on a blank page. He watched curiously as the bird-shaped quirk scribbled rapidly, then handed it back to Koda. It didn't have the best handwriting, but he could understand what was written. Who knew Tokoyami had taught it how to write! Koda felt a little embarrassed, thinking he should have tried the pen and paper approach from the get go. But alas, they now had a solid way of communicating, and Dark Shadow had something to say. What obscure information did the shadow feel the need to reveal? Something about Tokoyami's condition? Something he wanted Koda to do? The possibilities were endless, but judging by the urgency on the shadow's voice, he assumed it was very important.

"You know that European story, Sleeping Beauty? You should try to kiss Tokoyami and see if he wakes up."

Koda almost dropped the notebook, an intense blush spreading through his face. _Not even when his host was in a coma could it stop teasing Tokoyami?!_ Koda didn't know whether to cry, laugh, scold Dark Shadow or simply scream. His brain, however, already had plans.

"Y-you think so?" Koda smiled awkwardly. Dark Shadow wasn't stupid, it could probably feel Koda wasn't taking it seriously at all. But teasing or not… it was still worth a shot, right? "Um… I never… I don't know how to do this with a beak. But I'll try, for Tokoyami..."

Koda got up from his chair once again, leaning onto Tokoyami's unconscious body. Every brain cell of his was screaming that this was wrong, but they were clearly not screaming loud enough as his body made him do it anyways. His… lips? His lips gently touched the top of Tokoyami's cold beak, and for a moment, nothing happened.

But Koda didn't have time to get disappointed and almost cry again, because Dark Shadow made another noise, pointing at something right behind him. Koda was already expecting it to be another notebook or Kaminari with a camera and ready to make fun of him forever. Koda almost had a heart attack when he saw the tall figure of Mezo Shoji standing by the doorway, with an expression of… unknown emotions on his face.

"S-Shoji! I swear, he… Dark Shadow made me do it, I swear!" Koda frantically waved his arms in front of his body. "I'm… I'm sorry for listening, but… I'm sorry! I didn't want to…"

"Dark Shadow made me do the same." Shoji finally said with a sigh after hearing Koda trying to explain himself for almost a full minute. That seemed to calm the animal-commanding boy immediately. "It's late, Koda. Your mother asked me to come pick you up."

"You… Know my parents?" Koda raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Our entire class has been acquainted with your family ever since the accident. They chose to call me because I live the closest to the hospital." Shoji explained. Koda always found a little weird how he only used his duplicate mouths to talk, but he never gathered the courage to ask why that was.

"I… Guess I'm going. Tomorrow is Saturday anyways, so we can come here earlier, I guess…" Koda sighed, walking towards Shoji.

"Don't forget to turn off the lights. I trust that Dark Shadow will behave this time, as it has already felt the consequences of what happens if he doesn't."

Koda nodded and made his way to the wall where the light switch was located. He waited until Dark Shadow had returned into Tokoyami's body before he turned the switch all the way down, making the room completely dark (save for the light from the hallway).

"Goodnight, Tokoyami…"

Just as they were about to close the door, Koda's heart almost stopped yet again, due to a small yet barely audible noise coming from inside.

"I just woke up and you still wish me goodnight? I feel like you want me to go back to sleep."

Koda and Shoji made their way back into the room with supersonic speed, almost breaking the door with their brute strength. Tokoyami was still laying down, but… His eyes were open! Koda could swear he'd seen Shoji crying, but his vision wasn't exactly the best at the moment since his own tears were starting to fall.

"T-Tokoyami! You're okay! Tokoyami is okay! I can't believe my kiss saved Tokoyami! I'm so happy I–"

"Kiss? I… Can I have some context please? Shoji?"

"You've been asleep for almost half a year now."

Tokoyami's smile (or what resembled one) slowly turned into a confused expression. "Oh" was all he had to say about it.

"Tokoyami… I'm…I'm sorry! I promise I won't be careless like that anymore…" Koda wasn't afraid to sob anymore, gently resting his head against Tokoyami's chest and staining his hospital gown with tears.

"You're still wearing it." Shoji began to scold Tokoyami, but stopped when he saw the bird boy was moving his arms to weakly touch Koda's neck. "You're still wearing it… After all this time?"

Koda stopped crying and simply stared at Tokoyami for a moment. Tokoyami picked up one of Koda's hands and placed it onto Koda's own neck. The latter let out a gasp.

"I… I remember it. I remember it! I remember it now, Tokoyami!"

" _Tokoyami, I have something for you!"_

 _Koda waved towards his friend, a small smile plastered on his face. Tokoyami was currently leaning against a wall outside of the school, waiting for his parents to come pick him up. He directed his eyes towards the larger boy and gave him a small nod, followed by an answer using sign language._

" _Oh? What do you have for me, Koda?"_

 _Koda walked in front of Tokoyami and put his bag on the ground. He zipped it open and searched inside for a while before pulling out two pendants. The one he handed Tokoyami had a charm in the shape of a crow attached to it, and the one he kept had a turtle. Tokoyami examined it for a while with a hint of amusement on his expression, before wearing it around his neck. Koda did the same, glad that his friend had liked his impromptu gift._

" _We're matching now!" Koda signed after picked up his bag from the ground and put it on his back again._

" _Thank you, Koda. I am most grateful." Tokoyami nodded. "I have something for you as well. I was planning to give it to you after our finals were over, but… I guess this feels like the right moment to do so."_

 _Tokoyami slowly reached into his own back, taking out a long circular object. It was dark red, not too flashy but still pretty too look at, which was why Tokoyami had chosen that specific color for Koda. It also matched the color of Tokoyami's own._

" _A… Choker?" Koda took it into his large hands, examining it._

" _I… Understand it is a bit redundant, since you have already bought neckwear for both of us. But… I thought it would suit you."_

 _Koda didn't say another word. He briefly took his turtle necklace so he could put on the choker. It was a little tight, but it didn't restrict his breathing. It was sort of like a friendly embrace! Was that why Tokoyami was always wearing his?_

" _I love it! Thank you so much, Tokoyami!" Koda signed, a bright smile on his face._

 _Before Tokoyami could say anything else, a car honked in the distance. Turning around, they could see it was just across the street. They both recognized Tokoyami's mother inside the car, who waved at both of the boys._

" _I am sorry, but it is quite important I go now." Both of the boys traded goodbyes before Tokoyami started to walk towards the car. But right before he was about to open the door to the backseat, Tokoyami turned around._

" _Actually, Koda. Would you like a ride home today? I believe we live quite close to each other."_

" _Gladly!" Koda nodded and hurried to be at Tokoyami's side._

Finally, they could be together. In the past and in the present. The future was uncertain, but that was okay. Koda was just glad he could talk to his friend once again.


End file.
